I KNOW PLACES ➶ STAR WARS

Part IX // Return

"-perfectly fine," Ahsoka finished. "Her body is just preparing for labor. If they become worse in the next few days, though, let me know. She's confined to bedrest until then."

"Thank you. May I see her now?"

"She's sleeping, so I would leave her be for a little while." She watched carefully as he nodded in an understanding manner. "Will you join me in the kitchen?"

They sat down at the table, fresh tea in front of them both.

"I've been meaning to speak with you, Master, about..." Ahsoka trailed off and she looked around, clearly uneasy.

"About what? You can tell me." He touched her elbow reassuringly.

"Do you love Senator Amidala?" She asked bluntly.

Obi-Wan seemed taken aback. "I don't know if I love her, but I definitely..." He stopped to choose his words carefully. "I definitely care about her very much."

"Spoken like a true Jedi." She let out a small, humorless laugh.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, not angrily.

"Love is forbidden by the Jedi Code." Her dark blue eyes met his light ones.

"Yes, it's considered a distraction. What are you getting at?"

"You're falling in love! I see it every time you joke with her, every time you comfort her, every time you wake up with her in your arms."

Obi-Wan ran a hand through his strawberry-blonde hair. "You may be right. She- she has this effect on me. It's who she is."

Ahsoka didn't expect him to actually admit it. She tried to cover up her shock by looking into her cup.

Suddenly, the ear-piercing sound of a landing ship glided throughout the apartment, though it did not wake the weary Padmé. Obi-Wan looked to the balcony, where a small ship painted with yellow accents had landed.

"It can't be," he said, standing to his feet. He looked over at Ahsoka, shocked. "It's Anakin's old ship."

"What?"

A tall, dark figure stepped out, a helmet hiding the visitor's face. His breathing was deep and sounded forced through the heavy headpiece.

"Darth Vader. What a pleasure," Obi-Wan greeted him sarcastically.

"I wish to see my wife. But I should like to kill you first, my old master." The helmet turned to look at Ahsoka. "Greetings, my Padawan. You shall return with me."

"I won't allow you to see Padmé. She is too frail."

Darth Vader returned his unseen gaze to Obi-Wan. "Frail? What have you done?"

"She is none of your concern now, Anakin."

"That name means nothing to me," he hissed. Darth Vader illuminated his lightsaber and held it menacingly by his side.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka did the same.

"Ahsoka, stay out of this. Stay with Padmé," Obi-Wan said.

"He was my master!"

"And I was his," he said, shooting her a glare. "I don't want any trouble, Anakin. Leave us."

Darth Vader only laughed. "I'm not leaving without my wife and my Padawan; nor will I leave without you dead."

"Take us, then, you coward!" A new voice shouted. All three of the others turned to look at Padmé, who was standing in the doorway leading from the living room to her bedroom.

Darth Vader's lightsaber went out as he walked slowly towards his wife, fearless. "My love. You're still so beautiful." He reached up to touch her cheek.

She slapped his hand away. "I am not your love anymore."

Anger burned in Darth Vader's mind. "You should have known I was going to find you sooner or later."

"You obviously didn't expect me to stay here," Padmé spat acidly. "If you did, you would've been here sooner."

"You're right. But you obviously didn't expect me to show up any time soon."

"You're right," Padmé repeated after him. "I thought you were dead. In fact, I hoped you were dead." She knew this last statement wasn't true, of course, but she was praying he didn't.

Just then, Obi-Wan lunged at Darth Vader, lightsaber ready to land in the Sith's back. His intended target turned around, ready to block the attack with his own lightsaber. The weapons clashed with a sound of singeing electricity.

Padmé unsheathed a blaster she'd hidden within the extensive folds of her dress and fired it, aiming for the Sith Lord's shoulder. Darth Vader turned a shoulder and used the Force to hold the blaster bolt in midair, keeping his lightsaber locked against Obi-Wan's the whole time.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened.

"Surprised at my powers, are you, Obi-Wan?" Darth Vader asked, his gaze never straying from Padmé. His deep voice attacked again. "They've strengthened."

"Yes, they have," Obi-Wan replied snarkily. He nodded at Ahsoka and the two raised their lightsabers and expertly brought them back down, only to be deflected by the Sith once more.

Darth Vader forced the blaster bolt through a wall, startling Padmé, who gasped. Her blaster was shaking and pulled down to her hip in shock, but still ready to fire at any moment. The masked figure shot his arm out and lashed at Obi-Wan's unoccupied arm, cutting it fully off at the shoulder.

The Jedi Master yelled out in anguish and toppled over, grasping his shoulder, furiously trying to ease the extraordinary pain. Ahsoka knelt by him, looking up in anger.

Sensing that Ahsoka was powerless without the hope of Obi-Wan, the Sith spoke. "Now. All of you will come back with me," Darth Vader said, his ominously dark voice floating from the mask which hid his face. "Padmé." He gestured for her to follow him, but she didn't move. Instead, she simply leaned up against a wall. "Padmé," he repeated, his voice threatening.

"My water just broke," she said in between gasps.